Indian javelin star Neeraj Chopra will be on the field to defend his title in the Asian Games to be held in Japan in September-October. Athletics Federation of India (AFI) Selection Committee Chairman Adil Sumariwala confirmed this on Saturday. Neeraj has recovered from his lower back injury. He recently started his season at the Doha Diamond League, where he finished fourth with a throw of 85.69 metres.
Two-time Olympic medalist Neeraj, 28, had confirmed his participation in the Commonwealth Games but did not clarify whether he would participate in the Asian Games to be held in Aichi-Nagoya from September 19 to October 4.
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AFI expects good performance from Neeraj
Sumariwala told news agency PTI, ‘He (Neeraj) will participate in both the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. He has qualified and is currently in the process of fully recovering from the injury. He threw the javelin 86 meters (85.69 meters) in his first competition of the season, which is fantastic.
He said, ‘Neeraj had won the gold medal (in the Asian Games played in China in 2022) with 88 meters. He is now close to 86 meters, so we see no reason to think that he will not perform well in both the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games.
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Neeraj will face challenge from Tharanga
The selection committee of AFI is likely to announce the Indian team on the last day (Sunday) of the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championship. Neeraj had won the gold medal in the last Asian Games in Hangzhou, China with a throw of 88.88 meters. At Aichi-Nagoya, Neeraj is expected to face Sri Lanka’s rising star Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, who crossed the 90m mark earlier this year and then won two Diamond League titles. These also include the title won in Doha. Pakistan’s Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem is also likely to join the race, making the men’s javelin throw competition at the Asian Games even more exciting.
The AFI, however, has left it to Neeraj to decide whether he wants to participate in any competition ahead of the Commonwealth Games to be held in Glasgow from July 23 to August 2. Neeraj was earlier included in the 32-member Indian team for the Commonwealth Games. Sumariwalla, former AFI president and currently vice-president of World Athletics, said, ‘We have left this decision to them. He has qualified for these competitions and now our focus is on the process so that he can give his best in the Commonwealth Games as well as the Asian Games.
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